Bedwetting and Chiropractic Care

Bedwetting is an embarrassing and stressful situation for children and their parents. Just because it is a common problem doesn’t make it any easier for you or your child. The good news is that chiropractic care can alleviate some of the possible causes of this condition. Here are the facts about bedwetting:

It doesn’t usually stop on its own. This is one of the most common misperceptions about bedwetting. In fact, only about 15% of children who don’t get treatment will stop wetting the bed on their own.

Medication can’t cure bedwetting. Prescription drugs can only treat the symptoms. Although medications are effective for some kids, bedwetting typically resumes as soon as treatment is stopped. In other words, drugs treat the symptom instead of solving the problem, and drugs have potential side effects. The commonly prescribed Tofranil, an antidepressant, has been known to trigger everything from insomnia and anxiety to seizures and low blood pressure. Why seek a solution that causes more problems?

Chiropractic care offers drug-free treatment. Chiropractic care offers a safe way to reduce or eliminate bedwetting. In adults, the large bone at the base of the spine, or sacrum, is fused into one large piece, while in children it is five unfused segments. It is not uncommon for these segments to become misaligned, interfering with the messages that tell the bladder what to do. Spinal manipulation works by relieving irritation on the bladder control nerves located in the sacrum.

Several published studies have shown that spinal manipulation works as a bedwetting treatment. One study of over 170 bedwetting children found that those who received chiropractic care showed a 50% reduction in nighttime accidents.